Jimi Hendrix famously mangled it at Woodstock, and numerous American superstars from Marvin Gaye to Whitney Houston have had a go at belting it out.

But no one had recorded the Star-Spangled Banner in Spanish. No one, that is, until a British music producer gathered together a collection of Hispanic pop stars to render the American national anthem as "Nuestro Himno". And George Bush, for one, is not amused.

"I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English," Mr Bush said when asked at a press conference about the Spanish version.

The remarks evoked a lively debate, mainly on the internet, with support for the Spanish version from pro-immigrant lobbies and condemnation from those favouring tighter immigration rules.

The Spanish version is largely faithful to the English original, apart from the second stanza which says, "My people keep fighting. It's time to break the chains."

The recording comes with feelings running high on immigration. Legislation is pending in Congress, supported by Mr Bush, to introduce stricter controls.

A nationwide economic boycott by immigrants is planned for Monday to demonstrate the dependence of the economy on its immigrant workforce.

Mr Bush denounced the action: "I am not a supporter of boycotts. I am a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform ... I think most Americans agree that we've got to enforce our border."

The Spanish version is the brainchild of the New York-based British music producer Adam Kidron, who said the intention had been to honour America's immigrants.

But Mr Bush, though he himself can speak some Spanish, was unequivocal about the importance of it being sung in English. "One of the important things here is that we do not lose our national soul," he said.

A Harris poll revealed that 61% of Americans do not know all the words - even in English.